The Men in Blue: Conversations with Umpires

By Larry R. Gerlach

Book Overview

The philosopher Jacques Barzun thought that "whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball." And whoever wants to know baseball had better learn about umpires. As Larry Gerlach points out in The Men in Blue, these arbiters transform competitive chaos into organized sport. They make it possible to "play ball," but nobody loves them.

Considering the abuse meted out by fans and players, why would any sane person want to be an umpire? Many reasons emerge in conversations with a dozen former major league arbiters. While nobody loves them, they love the game. Gerlach has elicited entertaining stories from these figures under fire--about their lonely travels, their dealings with umpire baiters, battles for unionization, breaking through the color line, and much more. From Beans Reardon, who came up to the National League in 1926, to Ed Sudol, who retired in 1977, here is a witty and telling portrait of baseball from the boisterous Golden Age to the Jet Age of Instant Replay.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803270453
• ISBN13: 9780803270459
• Release Date: March 1994
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Length: 294 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Solid Oral History

Author Larry Gerlach presents the views of a dozen of the top retired big-league umpires. Readers learn about calling pitches, working the bases, taking charge, dealing with angry managers and players, heckling fans, etc. These pages also teach us about the lengthy (and low-paid) years in the minors, working on two and three-man crews, constant travel, road lonliness, etc. This book can open your eyes to the life of baseball umpires - who unlike referees in other sports enjoy no halftime break to visit the bathroom or grab a cold soda. I particularly liked reading the words of Beans Reardon, Ed Stewart, Jim Honochick, Ed Sudol, and Emmet Ashford, but each man had many interesting things to say. Readers also learn about several players, like Ted Williams (hard for reporters, but an angel to umps), Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Bill Dickey, Bob Feller, Mickey Lolich, Hoyt Whilhelm, etc. Having both played and umpired local softball, I heartily agree that good umpires hustle into position to make the right call - this also earns respect from players and lessens arguments. This book is a bit dated (published 1980) and at this writing only Ed Sudol and Bill Kinnamon remain with us. Still, this is a very readable, revealing look at both baseball and the men in blue.

Fascinating!

This book is fascinating reading! Granted, because I have umpired some Little League games (and hope to umpire more), I may have more interest in this topic than the typical reader. However, I think even the "typical reader" would enjoy this book. I kept thinking that I did not want the book to end. A sequel would be more than welcome!The interviews are laid out well and the reading is easy and entertaining. It is tied together well so that it does not seem like a jumble of questions and answers (it is not a question-and-answer format, but more of a prose format).You get a feel for the game that you may never have gotten before. You get to hear a little about some of the great names of baseball (Williams, DiMaggio, Robinson, etc.) from a new perspective. It is amazing how similar all the different umpires feel about some players and managers. It certainly heightened my respect for the game, especially for the Men in Blue.

Dealing with the Men in Blue

Every high school player should read this book. So should every college player or pedestrian professional baseball player. Men in Blue provides sound insight from the men who made the call on what makes them mad, makes them like a player, and how they make the rules fit the situation. Gerlach provides the fan a better understanding of umpires. It convinced me to think twice before beefing at the ump when I go to games. Although written a bit like a text book without the excitement of a novel, the messages are clear and well presented. Must reading for any true baseball enthusiast.

Umpires as You've Never Known Them

Larry Gerlach has done all baseball fans a supreme favor by compiling oral history accounts from umpires who judged the game from every possible angle. "Men In Blue" will linger in your mind for weeks, as one rich anecdote after another comes to mind. Umpires never enter the game for glory; most feel they are doing a poor job if you notice them. And to a man, they say that umpiring can be taught, but never learned; you either have critical judging ability or you don't. After reading this book, your whole impression of baseball as a simple game will have no legs to stand on. Not only do umpires rule, they make or break a great American tradition.